Rose of Life
by icywarm
Summary: A remake of my now deleted fanfiction 'Mikado'. Akane comes to a museum with her uncle, and is soon thrust into a strange place where the rose is her life. Two other people seem to be there as well. The world seems to want to kill them, but at the same time, give them a way to escape. Can they all escape?
1. Chapter 1

**Today marks the return of me posting stuff that wasn't an rp, and therefor a collab, with another person. It also marks the return of short chapters.**

**That's just where they want to end. Oh well. *shrug***

**This time, the Durarara/Ib crossover is more... Fueled by Ib rather than me literally watching PewDiePie play it and then just changing Ib and Gary and Mary to another character. So, it has elements of Ib, but is different. If that makes sense. Haha. ^^;**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter Word Count: 414**

**"Words." - Talking**

_**-Words-**_** -Thinking**

* * *

"Unclllllllllllllllle." Akane whined out. "Why do _I _have to go?" IT was obvious that the ten year old did _not _want to go wherever it was her uncle was bringing her.

"Because, little miss," the older, redhead began. "You told me you wanted to become an artist. I know it might not hold true anymore, but it could do you some good to see some art."

Akane rolled her eyes and huffed, her arms crossing. "Fine. Who's the artist, anyways?"

Akabayashi chuckled, his shoulders moving up and down to show it was genuine. "Little miss, art galleries show the artwork of many artists. Ah, but I suppose we'll see the gallery of Nakura, to see his art."

Akane nodded. "Alright Uncle. And on your next day off, we can visit another gallery, right?"

"Of course, if that's what you want."

Akane fell silent then, letting her thoughts wander. Certainly, it was nice of Akabayashi to spend time with her on his day off. She had to remember to thank him afterward, even if she didn't think a visit to the art museum was all that interesting.

When they arrived, Akabayashi took her to Nakura's gallery, and handed her a pamphlet.

"If you want, you can wonder around, and look at the pieces at your own pace. Oi-chan will likely take awhile. Just don't leave this gallery, okay, little miss?"

"Yes Uncle. Thank you." Akane flashed the redhead a smile before dashing off.

Certainly, the different works of art were wonderful! There were paintings and sketches and drawings and sculptures. Some were of people or places or things. Looking at some of the art didn't offer her a clue of what it was.

_-How can anyone make so many wonderful things in their life?-_

Truly, it was simply magical.

Akane turned away from the statue she had just been looking at before freezing.

It was empty.

Akane couldn't fathom how. But glancing around the gallery showed that it was devoid of both life and art.

Empty.

Empty except for her, and the statue she had been watching.

'The Headless Rider'. That was what her pamphlet said the statue was called. It wasn't a name that gave the child much confidence.

Slowly, Akane turned back to face the statue. It was different. The statue now held a pitch black scythe. And it was poised to strike.

Before she could even let loose a scream, it moved, and the sharp blade hit her throat.

Everything went black.

* * *

**So, I do have the first several chapters done, but I don't actually have the fanfiction written. I'm not sure if I'll be posting every week, like I have been with the rps. But, please do review. It gives me a confidence boost. And the rps haven't been getting many reviews. Most of them have less reviews then the works I take forever in updating. ^^;**

**I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of 'Rose of Life'. Does that title fit? I hope it fits.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright. Here's chapter two. I didn't get many reviews for chapter one, which kinda made me think about not posting this, but since I have most of it already written out, that'd just be mean. Okay, let's reply to the reviews in here.**

**To guest (Codebreakeryuuki): Yes, Ib in this one is played by Akane. She's actually a novel character, and one we might be seeing in season two. As for who the other characters are, well, this story was put up with the characters Akane, Shizuo, and Izaya, so you can take a guess there. I appreciate the encouragement as well~  
**

**To nak-chrome: So the first attempt at a durarara/ib crossover got you to play the game? Cool. I've only played it first, and I sorta just wrote down what PewDiePie did when I first made it. Haha. Now I'm just using the basis of Ib for the crossover, so I hope it holds up with the first one.**

**Chapter Word Count- 622**

**Total Word Count - 1036**

* * *

Screaming. Someone was screaming. Once that was known, she knew that she was screaming. She also knew that she wasn't dead, like she should have been.

One of Akane's hands flew to her throat, but nothing was wrong.

Nothing was wrong except for her location.

Even without looking around, Akane knew that it wasn't the gallery. It wasn't even the museum.

_-So… Where am I?- _

That wasn't a question she could answer by just sitting in one spot. Against all instinct, Akane got up, and started to explore.

_-If you're lost, stay still and wait for someone to find you.-_

These words were in her head, but she didn't listen. She had been kidnapped enough times to know that when she had the freedom to move, finding the escape was the best option.

Akane started to walk. She walked for what must have been a mile, and had gotten nowhere.

Huffing, she turned around to try the other direction. With only a few steps, she found herself at a blue door.

_-But…-_

When she had started, there hadn't been a door in sight. She hadn't passed any in the hallway, and she didn't walk as far to find the door.

Seeing as there was nowhere left to go, Akane opened the door and stepped into the room.

Inside were two things. The first was a painting that took up the whole wall. It was a woman's head. Her eyes were aqua, and her hair a silky, chestnut color.

"The Missing Head."

Akane still had her pamphlet, and that was the name of the artwork. It was a painting of The Headless Rider's missing head.

Akane was so caught up in how beautiful the painting was, that it took her a few moments to notice the lovely blue rose that was lying in the middle of the floor.

"Take it!" A voice rang out as soon as Akane's gray eyes set their sight on the flower. "And do not lose it. The rose is your life. Life is fragile, so treat it so."

At the words, Akane swallowed. So, if she let the rose die, she'd be killed? Or was it literal? And the more damage that the flower took; the closer she was to death?

Either way, she couldn't just leave the flower. Akane picked it up. The moment she did, the painting melted away, revealing a door.

After just a moment of hesitation, Akane walked through the door.

It was another room. In it was just one thing. A small table with a grayish, reddish vase on it.

Akane stared at the vase, unsure of what to do. Was it good? Was there water in it? And, if so, was the water even good?

It was her lack of action that called the voice to speak again.

"It has four petals now. Damaged from your arrival. Red vases that are tinted gray, like the one in front of you, are one use. Blue vases are unlimited use. Water restores the rose to its full prime."

_-Four isn't all? I wonder… How many pedals does my rose hold?-_

Not wanting to be in more danger than she already was, Akane placed the blue flower into the vase. There was a flash of light. The vase was empty. The rose now had ten petals match the number of years she had been living.

It looked so beautiful now. A wonderful rose… But still one so young, with room to grow.

Grasping the flower again, Akane grew determined.

_-This is a weird game… But I'll win it and get back to Uncle!-_

With nowhere else to go, she turned around and walked back through the door, to the room she had gotten her rose.

* * *

**So here's chapter two~ Slightly longer than chapter one, but still short. Yeah. Sorry about that. Guess rps just have longer spaces in between where it's good to break them off for chapters than my own writing.**

**Anyway, I do hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review. It gives me confidence and makes so I wanna keep the story going~**


	3. Chapter 3

Only… It wasn't the room. It was a large, dark hallway. Different from the first one.

"Stay calm. Stay calm." After taking a deep breath, Akane moved forward.

She must have walked for hours along that dark hallway, with nothing in sight. She yawned and rubbed her eyes.

_-Tired…-_

Her legs ached from the distance she had walked. It was a great deal for a young child. Akane's right hand ached from clasping the step of the rose.

_-A little rest won't hurt, will it?-_

She was too tired to argue against herself. Slowly, Akane sat down, her back against the wall. Her eyes shut, and she was asleep.

It wasn't long that she rested. Or… It could have been. She didn't have a watch, and there wasn't a clock in the room.

"Oh…"

She wasn't in the hallway where she'd fallen asleep. Instead, she was in a room full of art.

"!"

_-MY rose! My rose is gone!- _

She hoped that whatever had brought her here hadn't left her rose behind.

Akane swallowed once. Twice. Thrice. She had to calm herself. It would turn up. Sooner or later.

For now, Akane supposed she'd look around. With all the art everywhere, things were bound to be hidden.

There was a statue of some guy with the head. 'Obsession.' To her, it seemed like a strange title.

There was a painting of two girls, titled 'Twins'. It took Akane a few moments to see the familiarity between the two girls since they dressed so differently.

There was a giggle. And another giggle. Soon, it became apparent that the giggling was coming from the painting.

"Look! Look! Someone new is here!"

"You."

"Younger than the other man here, for sure."

"Ah! So there's someone else here? Can you direct me to them?" Akane didn't want to be alone any longer, and the other person could help her find her rose.

Instead of an answer, the twins just giggled again before falling silent.

Akane huffed. "Fine! I don't need your help anyway!"

The painting remained silent, and Akane stuck her tongue out at it before running off to look around other areas.

She didn't pay much attention to the other artwork. Instead, she just barely took note of some of the titles. 'Compulsive Love'. 'Above Underground.' 'A frightening Mask.'

None showed a way out of the room. In fact, it didn't seem as if there was a way in either. It made her wonder… How did she get in?

Just when Akane started to lose hope, she spotted something interesting.

A vase! A vase with a rose in it!

But… Not her rose.

"Hello?! Is someone else here?" Her question echoed. No one answered.

Still, if this person's golden rose was with her, then perhaps her blue rose was with them.

Determined, Akane grabbed the rose.

Giggling. There was giggling again.

"Time. To. Play."

Akane whirled around. To her horror, the painting of the twins was on the ground. And both girls were halfway out of the portrait, coming towards her. Their nails' dug into the carpet as they clawed to her.

"Come."

Akane didn't hesitate. She ran. Akane ran right towards a door.

Certainly, it hadn't been there before.

But Akane didn't care.

Inside the room was a maze. It was a maze of bookshelves.

The painting didn't follow, and all was silent. For the moment, Akane Awakusu was safe.

She took just a moment to catch her breath. Then she started to walk. Perhaps, if she had more of an interest, she would have looked through some of the books adorning the shelves. Instead, Akane was preoccupied with trying to find both the other person, and a way out.

Mazes weren't fun when you were in them. Akane was certain that she'd never way the way out. And when the golden rose started to wilt, she started to panic.

Quickly! She had to find a way out quickly; else the owner of the golden flower wouldn't last.

In her desperation, Akane used the 'right-turn' maze trick. At every turn, she turned right. Eventually, she'd get to the other side.

On that regard, she was right. Akane soon reached a staircase leading downward, and ran down the steps.

The hallways flew by as the child ran as fast as she could.

She ran until she came to a small room. In this small room was a blue vase, as well as a blond man wearing a bartender suit.

He looked bad… As bad as the rose she was holding. It only held a handful of petals left.

Quickly, Akane placed the rose in the vase, and it was healed. A dazzling amount of twenty-four petals adorned it.

Glancing at the man revealed that he, too, had been healed, and that relieved her.

"Hey… Um, I found your rose, and it's all better now."

The man glanced up.

"Huh… I can move. I guess I got hit too many times protecting this." From inside his vest, the man pulled out Akane's blue rose. "Is it yours?"

"Yes! Thank you! I don't know how it got away from me."

"Well then… I am glad I kept it safe. One moment, I had my rose, and the next, I had this. Then, a bunch of… Pieces of art came after me." The man smiled lightly. "Hey, if you're by yourself, then why don't I stick with you until we can find a way out of here?"

Akane was much too delighted at the fact that she knew nothing about this man.

"Sure! Oh. My name's Akane."

"And I'm Shizuo."

Shizuo handed Akane her rose before standing and taking his own from the vase.

"Alright… I suppose we go through the door. Ah, I hope we can get out of here soon."

"Me too. Uncle must be worried sick."

And he could be in this strange place too… Akane didn't like the thought.

They walked on. Despite their strange location… It was peaceful.

Perhaps it was too peaceful. For soon, they came upon a strange painting title 'Doctor's Tools'.

"Doesn't look like anything I've ever seen in a doctor's office." Shizuo mumbled the words. More so to himself than the child next to him.

After Shizuo spoke, Akane thought she heard a strange sound, and she turned around to see what it was.

And it wasn't good.

"Sh-Shizuo!"

Just Akane's tone told the blond that something was wrong, so he turned too.

"Shit…"

Flying towards them were the doctor's tools that they'd seen in the painting. Sharp tools, which only meant that it was meant to hurt.

With one arm, Shizuo lifted Akane before running.

Still, the tools only gained.

"Shizuo!" Akane had to stifle a scream after, as one of the tools plunged into his back, drawing just a bit of blood.

"Tch. Don't worry, Akane. It still has plenty of petals."

Shizuo didn't sound like he was in pain, and that soothed her. To a degree. Akane couldn't help but feel as if Shizuo wouldn't have gotten hurt if he hadn't had to run with her as excess weight.

She was glad when they made it to another room, and that they were safe.

"Let me get the thing out of your back!" Akane had to help, since she did feel like Shizuo only got hurt because of her.

"Huh? Oh. Right." Shizuo let Akane down before crouching down himself. "It'll probably bleed without a bandage or something."

"I know that. But it can't stay in!" Akane rolled her eyes as she went to take the strange took out.

"Huh?" Akane blinked. "It isn't there… And there's no mark." There wasn't any blood either… And yet, Shizuo's rose had still lost a few petals. It wasn't an illusion. "But…"

"Akane, maybe the objects don't stay? It hurts us to shows us how our roses lose the petals… But if it stayed… Then we couldn't move."

"I guess…" But she couldn't help now… Did that make her a burden? To make things worse, she yawned then.

Really, this just showed how much the whole ordeal was affecting her.

Shizuo sighed lightly. "I'll keep watch. You should take a nap. There's no telling how long we'll be in this strange place."

"No!" Akane puffed out her cheeks. "I don't need rest. Let's keep going." After finishing those words, Akane yawned again.

"Akane, you're yawning. Obviously, you're tired. If we keep going on without taking a break, it could be hazardous."

"But-"

"No but's." Shizuo held up one finger. "Think of it this way. If you hadn't told me about the things that had come after us, I wouldn't have even known they were there, and as a result, I would have been hurt a lot worse than I was. So let me thank you by keeping watch as you rest."

Now, Akane sighed. Shizuo's logic made sense… And it did make her feel better. She _had _helped, after all.

"Okay… But just a small nap! We have to get out of here."

Only after seeing Shizuo give a nod of agreement did Akane lie down and close her eyes. Soon, she was out like a light.


	4. Chapter 4

As with last time, Akane didn't know how long she slept. It couldn't have been that long, as Shizuo didn't seem tired in the least bit.

"Hey… Do you feel better now?"

"Yeah…" Akane smiled lightly before getting up. "Let's go!"

Shizuo chuckled lightly. "You're full of energy. I'm glad. Alright, let's go ahead. It'd be a good idea to find a way out."

"Mmm hm."

Akane hummed as they left the room. One of her hands was in Shizuo's as they walked through a hallway.

After a couple of minutes, the two of them came to a room which held several other rooms inside of it.

"Ehehehehehe." The laugh echoed through the room, and Shizuo pulled Akane closer because of it.

"Eeeeeehehe. Hehe hehe hehe. Heheheheehe."

"Shizuo…"

"Don't worry, Akane. Whatever it is, I won't let it get you."

The words didn't do much, but she knew she was safe with Shizuo there.

"Two little lost souls in this wondrous place." The voice was like tar. "Three little lost souls, stuck in here. Only two will come out."

"Shizuo growled. "SHUT THE HELL UP!"

Whatever it was laughed, but didn't speak another world.

"Shizuo, three lost souls. There's someone else here."

The blond didn't speak, and instead walked forward. Akane followed after. They checked the rooms, but none seemed relevant. One was filled with stools. Another, eyes. One even held a random assortment of chairs. There was another room that held nothing, not even light.

Shizuo had to sigh when they reached a small room with four bookcases in it.

A bit curious, Akane pulled a random book off the shelf. It was a cookbook.

"Hey, are there any recipes for cakes or sweets in there?""

"Give me a moment." Akane flipped through the book before showing one to Shizuo.

"Oh, that looks great. Hey, when we get out of here, if it's alright with your folks, I'll back it for you."

Akane's face beamed at the suggestion. "Really?"

"Yeah." Shizuo took the book from her. "I love sweats anyway, so it'll be a treat for both of us."

Akane grinned. "Thank you, Shi-"

The lights went out. Everything was pitch black.

Akane screamed at the suddenness of it, and Shizuo swore.

"Don't worry. I have a lighter."He dug around his pockets for a few moments before pulling it out and lighting it. "Damn it! Not enough light."

The blond hesitated for just a moment before putting the flame to the cookbooks. That way, it'd be lighted, like a torch.

"You're burning a book."

"I know… But the need is great. Besides, we can see now."

The book burned unusually fast, and Shizuo had to drop it, else risk burning his hand. There was a flash of light, the ash was gone, and the room was lit.

But red paint was splattered around the room. Words were spelt from it.

MURDER. ASHES GONE. FIRE. RULE BREAKER. MURDERER.

The words repeated, all throughout the room.

The two people didn't hesitate leaving the room. Where they'd go, they didn't know. After all, they'd been in every room.

"Hey. Hey. Give me your roses. _I'll _keep them safe." The same tar-sounding voice from before spoke, causing Shizuo and Akane to turn.

What they saw was a monitor that was the size of a window mounted on the wall.

A ghastly mask-like cloth was displayed on it. This cloth was what spoke. "The flowers… Give them to me."

"No." Shizuo and Akane spoke at the same time.

"I'm lacking for food. The roses will do nicely."

"Too bad. We ain't giving up these roses. Especially not if its food for you " Shizuo growled the words, obviously angry at the shark-cloth projection.

At its laughing, Shizuo grew too angry to control his anger any longer, and he punched the screen. Bits and shards of glass found their home in his outstretched hand.

Akane gasped as several petals of Shizuo's rose fluttered to the ground. But Shizuo didn't seem to mind as he pulled the bits of glass from his skin.

"Hah. Can't talk now, can you?"

"I don't think you had to go that far. I mean… You got hurt, and so your rose did too."

"It pissed me off. I couldn't help it." Shizuo sighed as he shook his hand before glancing at his rose. "Still has nineteen petals anyway. And at least you aren't loosing yours. Just gotta find a vase, and I'll be fine."

Akane sighed. Nineteen petals meant Shizuo had lost five. He had to be careful. She… She didn't want to be alone again.

"Heh… Punching it did good. Look, there's a door behind it." A door that was only visible because bits of the monitor were littered on the ground.

Shizuo spent a few moments pulling the rest of the monitor from the wall so that they could access the door.

After opening it, Shizuo aside so that Akane could go through first. After, he followed and closed the door behind him.

The hallway wasn't that long. Akane led the way, mostly because she ran ahead of Shizuo.

"Ack!" Right as Akane left the hallway, someone ran into her, knocking her down.

"Akane!" Shizuo ran to her side. "Are you alright?" Since she didn't seem hurt, Shizuo turned his attention towards the other person.

"Hey! What the hell was that for? At least apologize for running into a child!"

The other person stood before dusting himself off. Immediately, Shizuo got a bad vibe.

"Ah! I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone else was here, so I was rushing through the hall. I had thought… I had thought that I finally found the way out."

Shizuo scowled. He didn't believe it. Why would you rush through this place? It was better to be cautious in this place, and only run if there was danger.

"It's okay!" Akane piped up almost immediately afterward. "We wanted out too! So I wasn't looking. That means that it wasn't just your fault."

Shizuo crossed his arms as he watched the exchange. He still didn't trust this other person. Not a bit. But, what could he do?

"I know! I know!" Akane seemed excited as she spoke. "Why don't we all stick together? Strength in numbers." She turned towards him now. "Shizuo, can he come?"

Great. Shizuo didn't think that it was such a good idea. Still… He didn't want to disappoint Akane. And… Perhaps there was strength in numbers. "Yeah. Fine. Whatever. The more the merrier." Even as he said that… Shizuo felt that he shouldn't have.

"That's great. I'm glad that I'm no longer alone." To Shizuo, the voice seemed fake. It was… Just something about the tone. "I suppose I should introduce myself, huh? I'm Izaya."

He couldn't just stand there and not introduce himself. Not if they were going to travel together, so, "…Shizuo."

"And I'm Akane!" The child gave a big, trusting smile to both males. "Oh! Izaya, what color is your rose? Mine's blue and Shizuo's is gold."

Izaya smiled, or was it smirked, before beginning to speak. "My rose is red." Akane thought Izaya's voice sounded like soothing silk, while Shizuo thought it sounded like barbed wires. Both had very different opinions about their newest party member. Akane's was positive, and Shizuo's was negative.

"Well, if you two came from here, and I came from this other hall, then the only option for heading forward is the door."

Akane nodded in agreement, while Shizuo just rolled his eyes. Still, there wasn't anywhere else to go, so the three of them walked through the door.

It led to a room that held three things. A yellow door, a painting, and another, purple door. Shizuo opened the closer, yellow door, before peering inside. He had to scowl at what he saw. "Nothing in here other than some bookshelves and creepy looking dolls."

"Let me see!" Sure, Shizuo had said the dolls were creepy, but she didn't want to be left out. After working her way past Shizuo and into the room, she glanced about. "Hey… These dolls aren't creepy. They're cute."

"Yeah. I don't know why Shizu-chan thinks they aren't."

"Shizu… Chan?" The blond grew angry at the nickname, and the raven who had spoken it. Without thinking what might happen, he picked up one of the dolls and threw it. Of course, it was aimed right at Izaya.

"Whoops!" Izaya spun out of the way. "Missed me~"

"Shizuo!" Now Akane was scolding him. "Don't do that! What if you had hit him? Then he'd have lost petals."

"Yeah. And I only have twenty-one."

"Tch." Shizuo wanted to say 'fuck off', but with Akane here, he refrained.

"Let's go to the next room now." Akane grinned as she led the way. Izaya followed and Shizuo lagged behind, his hands in his pockets.

None of them paid attention to the painting. Akane didn't when she passed. Izaya didn't when he passed.

However, before Shizuo could walk by, a flash of light appeared and a loud, metallic sound resonated throughout the room.

Shizuo shouldn't have been surprised, but he was. _Swords _were coming from the painting. They formed a wall separated the blond from the other two. And, the swords blocked the way back. Shizuo was trapped, and the only place he could go was the room full of dolls.

"Shizuo, are you okay?" Akane spoke fist, worried that perhaps Shizuo had gotten hurt.

"Yeah. Are you?"

"Mmm hm. Me and Izaya are gonna check out the next room. Maybe we'll find something that'll help us get back together."

"So I'm just supposed to wait here?" His tone was angry. After all, he didn't want Akane alone with Izaya.

"It can't be helped, Shizu-chan. Steal separates us, and on your side is just a room."

Damn it! That was true. "Fine. But hurry!"

The blond didn't really hear Akane's 'we'll be back' or Izaya's 'don't worry'. He just wanted to be home.


	5. Chapter 5

Soon enough, Akane and Izaya were through the purple door. They found themselves in a sort of storage room.

"Let's look in the boxes. Maybe we'll find something to help Shizuo."

"Maybe."

With that, the two of them began to look through boxes. Akane only found art supplies in the ones she looked through.

"Find anything?"

"Only a knife." He spoke while shaking his head. "And that won't help us get to Shizuo. So, let's go to the next room."

Akane puffed her cheeks out. The thought of leaving Shizuo even farther behind did nothing to ease her, but they couldn't help him yet. "Alright…"

The next room held a drawbridge, but the only buttons were on the opposite side.

"Well… I don't think we can jump it."

Akane was saddened. "But, we have to get across. To help Shizuo…"

"I know, but how?"

Akane frowned. How indeed? Then, the bridge lowered. "Yay!"

She was easily brought back to high spirits, and rushed across the bridge. But, this door was locked.

"I guess this is what the buttons are for." With a light chuckle, Izaya pressed a button. Akane tried the door, and it opened.

"You got it! And on the first try too. Good job, Izaya."

Through the door was another hallway… Or was it a staircase? Either way, Izaya and Akane made their way through it.

"Izaya…"

"Hm?"

"Earlier, me and Shizuo heard something talking. It said… Three were lost, but only two would make it out. What if… What if we're escaping and leaving Shizuo here?"

Izaya stopped walking. "Would you rather have me left behind?"

"No! It's just… It isn't fair."

Izaya turned so that he faced Akane. "Then don't worry. We aren't leaving him behind."

They feel silent. Akane was hesitant. Izaya moved onward.

Soon, they were in a hall of sorts. There were stairs that went even farther downward, but a red gas poured in the entry way, preventing them from going down them. There were three other rooms, along with another staircase, this one heading up. However, a bookshelf blocked this one.

Akane was nervous. Despite this, she walked without hesitation into one of the rooms. Four tables were inside. On each of the tables was a yellow helmet.

"Help me look in the helmets."

"Are you sure? Akane, it could be dangerous."

"We have to find something to help Shizuo. Oops…" Akane had lifted up a helmet, only to drop it, seeing as it was actually a replica made of clay. "Maybe you're right. You can pick the next room."

That next room held nothing but bookshelves. The third held a lever.

"What does it do?"

Izaya simply shook his head. "I don't know. There's nothing here that says what it does."

"Mmm." Akane stared at the lever for a moment as she mentally debated about what to do. Then, she pulled it.

Nothing happened.

Both Akane and Izaya waited in the room, listening. When it became apparent that literally nothing had happened, Izaya deemed it safe to leave the room.

"Hey, the gas is gone." Akane's eyes shown as she spoke those words. "Let's go!"

* * *

With Izaya following, the child ran down the stairs.

Shizuo had grown tired of waiting. Not only should they have been back by now, but he was still stuck here.

So he couldn't backtrack, and he couldn't move forward. The only place he could go was through the yellow door. After swearing a few times, Shizuo made his way back into the room.

"Creepy ass dolls." How were the grey, human shaped dolls with red, vein-like lines pulsing underneath the 'skin' supposed to be cute anyway?

"What the hell?" Shizuo knew for a _fact _that there hadn't been a door in the room before. It gave him a bad feeling. But Akane and Izaya hadn't returned yet, and he had nowhere left to go.

There was no choice but the door.

"Fuck!"

Once through the door, Shizuo caught sight of another doll. Not bothering with it, he walked on. As he walked, Shizuo saw another doll, and increased his speed. His peed only increased with every doll he passed. Then there was one left.

And it was in front of a door.

"Get out of the way!"

Shizuo hadn't given a second thought to kicking the doll away and walking through the door.

It meant he didn't see the blood run out of the doll.

This next room held some switches and a door. But the door was locked.

Shizuo tried the switches. The first here did nothing. The forth switch sprayed him with gas, which cost him a petal. The fifth dropped a clay helmet on him. That cost him another two petals.

"Damn it!"

Only now, the door was opened.

Shizuo sighed and walked through the door. The first thing he noticed in this new room was a vase, and it was a blue vase. That was great.

He smiled lightly before placing his rose into the vase. After the flash of light disappeared, Shizuo picked up the rose. "Twenty four petals again… Good. And whatever happens, he had a sure fire way to heal himself.

"It's like a video game… That doesn't give me good thoughts though."

Shizuo sighed as he made his way through the door. Inside it was a rather spacious room with several doors situated around the area.

"Guess I better look around… There's a chance there's something here that'll get the group back together."

The door closest to him was locked. Figures… The next door, the one to the right of the first, was unlocked. After walking in, Shizuo started to cough.

"The hell?!"

The room was full of some sort of gas. It stunk and rose like smoke. On the other side of the room was some sort of button… But he couldn't get farther in. His rose was already losing petals.

Cursing lightly, he left the room and made his way to the back of the giant room. There, he found a vase, and replenished his flower.

Now, he made his way into the door that was behind the vase. It was full of paintings and a brief description of each. After making sure that there was nothing of value or interest into the room, he left and made his way back to the room with the gass, so that he could see if he could get through now.

"It's thinned…" Not much… But probably enough.

He could see a vase on the other side of the room. It was next to the button. _–Perfect.-_

With the vase, he'd be able to refresh his flower AND get to the button, as well as make his way back out of the room.

Shizuo wasted no time. He sprinted to the wall and pressed the button. At the same time, his own, golden rose was placed in the vase.

When the button was pushed, the gas started to thin, just a bit. "I guess this helps somewhere else too… If it were just the room, there wouldn't really be a point."

There was one other room left. The locked one would have to wait. Shizuo left the gas room and made his way towards the forth door.

Inside the room was a bookshelf. The bookshelf held a single book. Slowly, the blond walked towards it, a scowl on his face. Anything could happen, after all.

He picked the book up. "Last works of Nakura." Most of the pages were glued together. In fact, only one page was actually readable.

"The last work of the artist Nakura could be described as that of a 'dark' self portrait. The features fo the painting are the same as the artist's, but the whole thing has a truly dark presentation. If it were made today, one could say that someone tinted Nakura's self with something dark."

Shizuo scowled as he read, before his eyes widened at the image of the painting.

"Nakura titled this final piece of art 'Izaya'."

Shit. That wasn't good. Izaya was one of the things trying to kill them… And he was with Akane!

"Better hurry! The door's unlocked. They're coming and he knows you know." A voice rang out from nowhere, and Shizuo cussed before sprinting to the door that had previously been locked.

He bounded up the steps two at a time until he ran strait into Izaya, knocking the other down.

"Izaya! Shizuo, why would you do that?" Akane was shocked at Shizuo. After all, the blond seemed so nice. To do something so mean… There'd have to be a reason!

"Akane, stay away from him." Shizuo put himself between Akane and Izaya. "He isn't real."

Izaya's own red rose had fallen on the ground, but not one petal had been lost. It was fake.

"I saw it. He's a piece of art, like any of the paintings or sculptures of whatever that've been attacking us both."

Akane gasped, and her eyes widened. "But…" There was no denying it. The rose was fake… He wasn't hurt.

Izaya stood, a knife in one hand and a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You were supposed to stay trapped… Or at least, you weren't supposed to find out."

Shizuo scowled. "I knew I didn't like you… Now I know why." He didn't waste any time. Before Izaya could strike them with the knife, Shizuo punched him.

Sure, it cost the blond a few of his petals, but it gave them some time.

"Akane, is there a way you haven't been?"

"Um… Down. But you were there. There's also another set of stairs leading up, but a booksehfl is blocking the way."

"Don't worry, I can move it. So, let's go, before he recovers and comes after us."

Akane nodded, frowning as she did, and they headed off. Shizuo was able to easily move the bookshelf.


	6. Chapter 6

They walked for a bit before their surroundings started to change. They were outside. There was a sky and the sun and houses and gas. But at the same time…

"It looks like something I might draw."

Akane was right. Though they seemed to be outside, it seemed as if they were still stuck. The entire area looked like a child's sketchbook.

"Its eerie… I hope it means we're close to the end. Either way… Let's keep going."

"!" Akane stopped in her tracks, a horrified expression on her face.

Shizuo stopped and glanced over, so he could see what had horrified the child so much. But there wasn't anything there.

"Hey… Do you need to rest or something?" He was worried about the child.

"D-Don't you see it?" When Shizuo shook his head, Akane frowned. "That's okay… It's nothing. I'm just tired, and I wanna be back with uncle."

It wasn't okay. She could see her own body… Not alive body… But she didn't want to worry Shizuo at all.

The blond frowned at Akane's answer, but let it go. If she didn't want to tell him about it… Then he couldn't make her.

Both of them continued onward. The first house they found was unlocked, so they entered. Outside, there were footsteps.

"Shit… Hide!"

There were only two places to hide. Under the table, and in the closet. They'd be found right away if they hid under the small table, so Shizuo and Akane crammed themselves int o the closet and closed the door.

Just as they closed the closet door, the front door opened. Footsteps echoed around the room.

"Akane. Shizu-chan. Only one of you has to go, you know?" Izaya's voice was giddy, as if it was fun for him.

"I'll get you, you know? So if you're in here, you might as well come out."

Neither Akane nor Shizuo spoke. If they did, one of them wouldn't survive the encounter.

"Fine. Fine. Suit yourselves. It'll just be worse for you when the time comes." After saying those works, Izaya left, and the other two cautiously exited the closet.

"Sh-Shizuo…."

"Don't worry. We'll both make it. He's the one who's going to stay here. You'll get back to your uncle, and I'll bake a cake for us to share."

At Shizuo's words, Akane relaxed and smiled. "Yeah… You're right! If we get sad, we won't make it out."

The next house held a bucket, and the forth was blocked by a block of ice. The fifth house had no lock, but would not open. Another house had a withered fine growing off the door, and would not open.

"Maybe we need to water the plant to get in. I mean, we have a bucket!"

Shizuo nodded. "As soon as we find a water source."

Luckily for them, a small pond laid on the other side of the house. It was convenient… So convenient that Shizuo was suspicious, and got the water himself, so that nothing would happen to Akane.

As soon as the water splashed the vines, the door swung open. Slowly, the two of them entered the house. Inside were two things. The first was an orange block that seemed to radiate the heat. The second was a note, which was written on the wall.

"The key to the way out is hidden in a box blocked by ice… The ice! Shizuo, I bet we can use the block or whatever to get into that house. Then, we just take the key to any that're locked!"

Shizuo nodded as he picked up the cube. "Sounds good. Let's hurry before he finds us."

After nodding, Akane led the way to the house that was blocked by ice. Shizuo crammed the cue into said ice, which melted almost immediately.

The inside of the house was plain and empty. The only thing inside was a plain, brown box.

"Let's go! The key has to be in the box." Akane ran forward and threw open the lid of the box.

"Wait. There's writing on the lid." Shizuo picked up the lid an frowned. "Remember, half then hurt. Then it shows." He scowled and threw the lid to the side, ignoring it.

"I can't see the bottom of the box."

"What do you mean you can't see the bottom of the box?" Shizuo frowned as he glanced down. It looked like a hole, going down and down. No bottom in sight.

"How… How are we going to find the key?" Akane was distraunt. They… They had to get home!

"Just go and look." The voice belonged to Izaya, and then they were both falling.


	7. Chapter 7

Akane groaned as she stood. Her body ached and she was alone. All around her were paintings and sculptures. None of them moved. Everything was inactive.

"Shizuo!" Akane didn't want to be alone, not here. "Shizuo!" Still calling the other's name, she ran. Akane ran through the maze of artwork, looking for the blond made.

"Akane!" Shizuo exclaimed when the child ran into him. "I was worried when you weren't here. Are you alright?"

Akane nodded. "Y-yeah. I think so."

"Good. What about your rose? Mine lost half its petals, in that fall."

"Really? I better check. Let's see, my rose has…" She trailed off. "I don't have it. My rose… It's gone!"

Shizuo was panicked. That much was obvious. So, Shizuo wrapped his arms around her. "Don't worry. It's in this room. Let's just be careful and search, alright?"

Slowly, Akane nodded. Shizuo was right. They weren't in any danger yet. So, they just had to be careful and look.

Their search began. They looked on the floor and in the sculptures. Behind and around things. But they didn't find Akane's rose, which worried the child.

"Oh look. I found something so little and blue. Five petals left."

Shizuo and Akane froze, and from behind a sculpture, Izaya stepped out. Akane's blue rose was in his hand. "What would happen if I took this petal off?"

"Don't!" Shizuo reached forward, one hand before stopping. If he ripped the flower from Izaya's hand, then a petal would stay with the raven, harming Akane.

"Hm? Want this? Sorry~ I don't do giveaways. Ah, but I will trade it for something of equal or greater value."

Shizuo ground his teeth as he glared at the other. How he wished he could punch the smug smirk right off Izaya's face! Something of equal or greater value, huh?

"Shizuo don't! I'm okay! Really! We can get out of here without my rose!"

He didn't pay any attention to the child's pleas. Instead, he held up uis own, golden rose. "Will this work?"

"Twelve petals instead of five… I'll even throw in a bonus." Izaya snatched the golden flower from Shizuo before tossing Akane's blue one forward. "And your bonus." A pink key was tossed at them. Then, Izaya ran off, laughing as he did.

"Shizuo…"

"Let's keep going. We can escape before he does anything."

Akane frowned, but nodded and the two of them walked. Soon enough, the exit was in sight.

Then, the statues started to move.

They couldn't hesitate. Shizuo and Akane ran. Ran to the exit. Every time a statue would move to hit Akane, Shizuo would get in the way.

By the time they reached the next room, Shizuo was covered in bruises and cuts, and he was breathing deeply. Obviously, he was hurt.

"Let's keep going."

Akane frowned, but nodded. If they stopped, then it was all the more likely that he wouldn't last.

The only way out was through a hallway, so that was where they headed.

Shizuo's breath grew more ragid as they walked on. More cuts and bruises appeared, until he coughed up a bit of blood. Things weren't going well.

"Shizuo!" Now, Akane's eyes were wide, and she was clearly worried. Shizuo wasn't doing well. It had to be his rose. His rose that Izaya had.

"I'm fine." They both knew it was a lie. There was blood dribbling from the side of his mouth, and all over were cuts and scrapes and bruises. There were so many that it was affecting him, when usually, he wouldn't even notice the wounds.

"I just need a bit of rest."

As he spoke, Shizuo lowered himself, so that he was sitting, his back against a wall. He wasn't doing well at all.

"But Shizuo-" She didn't want to waste any time. They had to escape, or else get Shizuo's rose back.

"No. I'll rest. You can get my rose, right? Then, we can continue on. I trust you."

Akane swallowed before nodding. She was strong. She could do this. "I'll… I'll get it and be right back." She smiled so that she could reassure Shizuo before continuing down the hall. Eventually, the child came to some stairs that led upwards. Izaya's voice echoed from above.

"Yes! This is perfect. Perfect~ One will stay, stay, stay. And I can go. Go to the world of humans. The world of my father."

Izaya laughed and walked away. Akane knew he did because his voice faded, and then there was the sound of a door opening and closing.

Akane took this time to walk up the stairs before gasping.

A pile of eleven golden petals and one withered stem were piled in the middle of the room.

"Oh no… Shizuo…" His flower… It was gone. No… It was there. Just in parts. Quickly, she gathered everything and ran back down the stairs.

The child flew down the hall, until she came to Shizuo.

The blond man was slumped forward, his eyes closed. A peaceful look was on his bloodied face.

"Shizuo… Come on. I got your rose… We have the key. Let's get out of here."

There was no response. There wouldn't have been. But Akane didn't want to acknowledge why. She knew, but she couldn't bear the thought.

"Resting? I guess that's good for you. You're hurt, you can just catch up after the rest." She smiled, before placing the petals and stem next to Shizuo.

"I guess we should make sure Izaya doesn't stop you." After just a moment of hesitation, Akane grabbed the lighter from Shizuo's front pocket. Izaya was a painting, right? So he could be burned…

"Catch up soon, Shizuo."

Akane didn't wait for the answer that wasn't coming as she made her way back towards the stairs. The room held two doors. One was blocked by vines.

There was no hesitation as the child used the lighter to burn the vines away. A door was revealed. The room inside the door was barren, excepting a painting that was on the wall.

The painting wasn't a painting. Or rather, it looked like the person in the painting had walked out of it. Which he had.

Slowly, Akane walked towards the painting, the lighter in her hands. "This is you. So, let's get rid of you."

Right as she got to the painting, the door opened, and Izaya entered the room.

"You… You were supposed to just go on. Not stop here!" He had the knife in his hand, and Akane screamed. Quickly, she lit the lighter and held the flame to the painting.

It lit instantly, and so did Izaya. Akane didn't wait. She ran out of the room before exiting the house, which turned out to have been the one that was locked without a lock.


	8. Chapter 8

There was a new path, so Akane followed it. At the end of the path was a pink house, which Akane entered with the help of the pink key.

There were stairs leading down. It was the only thing in the house, and to head out was just to go back.

Too bad going back couldn't make Shizuo wake up.

Akane tightened her grip on the lighter. She couldn't let it go. Then, she made her way down those stairs.

The stairs led to a dark gallery. It was the gallery this whole mess had started in, only dark.

The way out was so close… And Shizuo had missed it. At least, Izaya was gone now.

Akane was hesitant as she walked through the gallery. Before, the Headless Rider had attacked her, and that had brought her here.

Akane stopped. There were two paths that certainly hadn't been in the museum.

At the end of one was the Headless Rider. Probably her way home. And at the end of the other was… Shizuo.

He was there, not a scratch on him. Alive! "Shizuo-!"

"Akane." Shizuo smiled when he saw the child, which he hadn't seemed to until Akane spoke. "There's a way out. This way."

Akane frowned. Shizuo stood at a dead end. There was no way to go. "But…"

Something wasn't right. Why didn't Shizuo just come to her, or open the door or whatever to show her?

"Come on."

Something with his voice was off… It gave her a bad feeling.

Akane didn't hesitate any longer. She ran towards the Headless Rider.

The Rider moved then, its scythe moving to slice Akane.

And she was in the gallery. The statue was motionless in front of her.

"What…?" What had she been doing? She couldn't recall.

_-Oh yeah! Uncle took me to the art museum. I guess I'll look around.-_

Smiling to herself, Akane started to look around, until there was only one painting left.

"Forgotten…" The painting was sad. A… Bartender? Surrounded by yellow flower petals.

"Such a sad face…" His eyes were closed as well. Was he sleeping?

"Huh?" Akane hadn't noticed before, but she held a lighter in her hand. "When did I-"

It was important. But she couldn't fathom why.

_-Oh well.-_

Akane pocketed the lighter before going to find Akabayashi, so they could go home.


End file.
